Testing Out Windows 8

So I was finally able to get my copy of the Windows 8 consumer preview up and running in a virtual machine, so now I can give it the the thorough exam it needs. So far, this is a hotly contended update to the flagship Windows product, and there are a lot of changes to examine. After only a cursory overview of about half an hour, I can already say that, my opinion on Windows 8 has already changed.

First off, a more positive note; I am not as apaled with the new Metro interface as I thought I would be. Though very simple in design, it is clean, customizable, and quick, though not very intuitive. My first complaint, though, comes from an annoyance that just should be happening in Windows. The new start bar for Windows 8 functions almost as badly as the Unity sidebar in Ubuntu, but is nowhere near as useful. It contains only five buttons, and of them, the majority of people might use two or three. Also, getting this elusive start bar to appear isn't so easy to figure out, whiccvh is a problem considering that the only way to launch new applications is to get back to the start menu. You actually have to put your mouse up in the right-top corner, or the botttom-right corner, and I mean all the way down in the corner. Also, I've heard complaints from writers on the techrepublic.com and zdnet.com websites that people using larger displays causes problems, stating that Windows 8 is designed with tablets in mind. But I actually had an opposite response. Windows 8 wouldn't even let me open photos for viewing because my monitor settings in Virtualbox won't go any higher than 700 pixels in height. And this last complaint, I will admit, is a weak one, but I still have to write it down. The lack of a software based shutdown button makes using Windows 8 really annoying in a virtual machine, because they expect you to have a way of shutting down the system in the OS. Its only a little thing, but it still bugs me.